Wednesday 4 March 2009

A Spring update

February's meeting was fantastic. With more members than ever coming through the doors, there was a real sense that our humble group is becoming properly established.

Steve Humphries from Testimony Films spoke to us with passion and conviction about his 25 year career in oral history documentary-making. We were treated to clips of his world-changing programmes, with women speaking candidly about their experiences of orgasms, sex before marriage, and unconsummated marriages in the twentieth century. Without Steve and his team, much of this wonderful material would have been lost in the mists of time. We're very glad Testimony exists.

Alice and Lottie spoke about the Southbank Art Trail project, for which Malago WI members will make assignments from the Learning To Love You More project. If art's not your thing, we're also looking for donations of cake and a few hours over the weekend, to help run the fundraising cafe.
Email jointhewi@gmail.com for more information, and we'll have a sign-up sheet at the March meeting too.

Talking of which, the programme for March will be a voice workshop, presented by Selina Keedwell of interCre8. The workshop is about having fun exploring our voices whilst discovering new ways of communicating confidently with an audience, at work or play. By exploring breathing, relaxation, diction, projection, rhythm and pace, use of pause, body language and delivery, we will develop a better understanding of ourselves as communicators, and of our voice as a useful tool.
We're sure the voice workshop will be a fun way of working together to explore our abilities in a supportive and creative way.

See you in March,
MWI

Friday 20 February 2009

February meeting

Roll up, roll up, ladies of south Bristol, it's that time of the month again. The fourth Malago Women's Institute meeting will take place on Wednesday 25 February at 8pm.

Much anticipated, this month's speaker is Steve Humphries of Testimony Films. Postponed from last month, Steve is the king of oral history and his talk celebrates women's experiences of love, sex and relationships from the last century. Illustrated with video clips, Steve has selected the best from his vast archives for what will be a fascinating and insightful meeting - not to be missed.

And the rest of our programme is shaping up nicely too... There's now a link on the right which should take you straight to details of all meetings, both archive and forthcoming. Some is yet to be confirmed, and contributions or suggestions would be most welcome. We hope you feel that we've listened to what our members want - it's your WI so let us know.

Also coming up is the Bristol Women's Show for which we need 4 volunteers to help spread the WI word. The Show celebrates all things female, including fashion, fitness, careers advice, health, finances, safety and more. Speak to Jen at the meeting if you can spare a couple of hours on Sunday 29 March between 10am and 4pm, or email jointhewi@gmail.com with your name, contact details and availability. Entry is £5, volunteers get free entry.

Likewise, WI groups across the land will be sending representatives to the Million Women Rise march to end male violence against women. Women's right to live free from violence has not been achieved, and women continue to be attacked and violated in many different ways. The march aims to show our mass dissatisfaction and campaign for change for all women and children. The 2008 march went down in history as the largest demonstration of women in UK - this year's march is set to be bigger and better. This thoroughly worthwhile event takes place on Saturday 7 March in London, beginning at midday. If you'd like to attend, Jen's your woman - same details as above. If we get enough interest, we'll try to organise discounted train fares.

On a lighter note, May heralds blossom, asparagus, and the Southbank Art Trail. This year, we'd love to have an exhibition of work made by Malago WI (as well as a cafe), not only to show our artistic side, but also to spread the word, raise crucial funds, and recruit new members. Based around the Learning To Love You More assignments, the exhibition is open to anyone from MWI - Alice will explain more on Wednesday, but here are a few examples to keep you guessing.

Many of you will have seen Malago WI in the local press and on the local news. Exciting times indeed. We'd like to thank you for making MWI what it is today, and for sharing our vision for a supportive, educational and fun meeting place in this great community of south Bristol.

Here's to more of the same.

Over and out,
MWI

Malago WI programme

Upcoming programme and meeting dates 2012
:: Wednesday 28 March
Blogging and campaign resolution
:: Wednesday 25 April
A New Taste of Spring with Shannon Smith
:: Wednesday 30 May
Gardening with Lia Leendertz
:: Wednesday 27 June
Health TBC
:: Wednesday 25 July
TBC
:: Wednesday 29 August
Make do and mend
:: Wednesday 26 September
Seasonal produce
:: Wednesday 31 October
Birthday party and quiz
:: Wednesday 28 November
Ways with wool: Felt

Archive Programme 2012
:: Wednesday 29 February
Paper flowers and fabric birds
:: Wednesday 25 January
Happiness

Archive programme information
2011
:: Wednesday 30 November
Ways with wool: Pompoms
:: Wednesday 26 October
Malago WI 3rd Birthday party - swish and sweets
:: Wednesday 28 September
Salsa
:: Wednesday 31 August
Sleep!
:: Wednesday 27 July
Malago WI village fete - jam, vegetables, bunting, cakes
:: Wednesday 29 June
Mystery meeting
:: Wednesday 25 May
All-female DIY with Jo Behari, Home Jane
:: Wednesday 27 April
Learn to Speak with Selina Keedwell, Intercre8, WI resolutions vote
:: Wednesday 30 March
Aromatherapy - mixing our own home and beauty products with Ali Cook, Pure Bliss Aromatherapy
:: Wednesday 23 February
Bag-making and book/present swap
:: Wednesday 26 January
Story-telling


2010
:: 24 November 2010
Present-wrapping and wreath-making
:: 27 October 2010
Pudding club - our second birthday party 
:: 29 September 2010
Ways with wool - crochet and felts
:: 25 September 2010
Best of Bedminster show (fundraising event)
:: 15 September 2010
Social event
:: 25 August 2010
Quiz night
:: 28 July 2010
Nick Hand talks about his travels around the UK meeting artisan craftspeople
:: 30 June 2010
Bollywood night (rescheduled from January 2010)
:: 26 May 2010
Jane Brocket
:: 28 April 2010
Tea- and chocolate-tasting with Lahloo teas (Brunel group meeting)
:: 31 March 2010
Self-portraiture
:: 24 February 2010
Morph-making with Aardman
:: 27 January 2010
Badge-making and new year resolutions

2009
:: 25 November 2009
Creative writing
:: 28 October 2009
Malago WI First Birthday party (change of venue: Southville Centre)
:: 30 September 2009
Ways with Wool
:: Best of Bedminster show, Saturday 26 September 2009
:: 26 August 2009
Swishing!
:: 29 July 2009
Pilates with Anna Christy, and Chris Uttley from BERATE
:: 24 June 2009
Flower-arranging, Claire from Les Fleurs
:: 27 May 2009
Save the Honey Bees campaign vote and history of WI campaigning talk
:: 29 April 2009 Spring clean your life:
Kath Kelly (author of How I Lived a Year on Just a Pound a Day) and Dave Hamilton (of www.selfsufficientish.com, the urban guide to almost self-sufficiency)
:: 25 March 2009
Voice workshop, Selina Keedwell, Intercre8
:: 25 February 2009
Women's oral history, Steve Humphries, Testimony Films
:: 28 January 2009
Indian Head Massage, Alison Cook, Pure Bliss Aromatherapy 0117 9831284
:: 10 December 2008
Paper Christmas decorations, Alice, Lottie and Carrie
:: 12 November 2008
Inaugural meeting - History of the WI, programming ideas, tea & cake

Friday 13 February 2009

We're in Venue magazine!

That's right, Bristol and Bath's favourite weekly what's-on features a nice little article about Malago WI on page 29 - available from newsagents now.

It's the one with Bristol and Bath's Top 100 most powerful people on the cover. Malago WI President Karen Bowers was 101.

See you on Wednesday 25 February,
MWI

Monday 9 February 2009

How Hollywood made its heroines weight-obsessed and man mad

Tinseltown WI, listen up! It's awards-ceremony time of year and, much as we love watching the TV coverage of our favourite actors on the red carpet, it's not all lovely frocks and blubbing. Read about the dumbing-down of female characters in Hollywood in this report.